"We need to talk, Mark."
Mark looks at his father without giving anything away through his expression. He wasn't fazed by seeing his father bisect the Immortal. Mark nods his head.
"I concur. We sure do."
*Sigh*
"This isn't how I wanted to do this, but I don't have a choice. It's time for you to know where I really come from: I am from Viltrum, that much is true, but it's not the planet I've told you about. We have created a perfect civilisation, but it took all of our strength, determination, and courage to get there.
In order for our people to obtain intergalactic dominance, we must eliminate the weak from our planet. It was a long and very messy process. When the dust settled, our population had been cut nearly in half, but what emerged from the ashes of our old society was a fierce, unbeatable warrior race. Once our battle-scarred planet had been repaired, we set our sights outward. It was proposed that we bring our new world order to other worlds. Our goal was to establish and expand a planetary empire.
It was agreed upon unanimously.
Shortly after the high council had approved the idea, the world-conquering committee was formed. The first step of the initiative was to locate other planets that were in a crucial stage of development... planets that were far enough along that adding them to the empire would be a worthwhile endeavour, but not so far along that we would be unable to overcome their defenses.
The second step was to install a global watchtower where we could keep supplies for a long-term occupation and monitor the entire planet from orbit. The final step was to send a team of representatives down to the planet's surface to announce our takeover. This team would stay behind on the planet, monitoring its activities. Races who cooperated were given access to our technologies, which could be used to improve the quality of life under our rule. Races who resisted were not looked upon so favourably.
With our expansion clearly a success, my people doubled their efforts. We began to enlist the aid of races we had conquered to continue to expand our empire. Though they were not quite as efficient as our own forces... it did help with our expansion efforts.
By the time I was born, Viltrum was already a hub of interstellar activity- one of the first Great Empires of the galaxy. There couldn't have been a better time to enter this world. Word traveled around Viltrum about how much of a success the World Conquering Committee was. Soon, it became the most popular profession on Viltrum. Of course, when I came of age, I signed up for duty. I was on the search committee; my job was to locate and evaluate planets that might be ripe for conquest. By then, the operation had been expanded and perfected. I was stationed on a mobile base that travelled from planet to planet as we conquered them. I was not content to just help my people locate other worlds.
Like all the search committee members my age, I longed for a chance to take a more active role in the world's conquest. For three years straight, I attended auditions until at last... I had proven myself. I impressed the heads of recruitment so much that I got one of the best posts in the Conquering Committee. I was stationed at the forefront of the expansion efforts... at the very edge of our ever-growing Empire. I threw myself into my work.
It was messy work, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. There was nothing I wouldn't do for Viltrum. There still isn't. As we moved across the galaxy, adding civilisation after civilisation to our empire, I quickly rose through the ranks. It wasn't long before I was leading my own division. It didn't matter if it took one hundred hours or one hundred years. No civilisation we set our sights on went unconquered. We were unstoppable.
Our continued success was partially due to my efforts. For which I was greatly rewarded. At first with awards... and eventually much more. As our Empire grew, our forces became stretched too thin just trying to maintain it. Our expansion screeched to an abrupt halt. It was clear that we needed a more efficient method of world conquering. So one was devised. Rather than come in large numbers and conquer a planet by force, our highest-ranked and most trusted officers would be essentially given planets to survey and weaken over time.
I was one of the first chosen for this assignment.
We were to acclimate ourselves with the planet's environment, eventually becoming a member of society. Aside from ensuring the planet did not become strong enough to defend itself from us, it would be ours to do with as we pleased for five hundred years. At the end of that time, the knowledge we had collected would be used to quickly and efficiently bring the planet under Viltrum rule. It was a privilege to be given this assignment- a reward for all my hard work. It was the closest thing to a vacation that existed on Viltrum.
Upon my arrival, I spent days surveying my new home. Earth was a vibrant nest of individuality that was very much alien to me. At first, I hated it and regretted accepting the mission. It was a strange planet full of strange people. But it was mine. It wasn't long before I realised this would be no easy assignment. Had the World Conquering Committee known Earth was such a volatile environment, they may not have chosen it. It seemed its people were almost always in some kind of danger. Every time I turned around, there was a new threat out to conquer the planet before Viltrum even had a chance. We had laid claim to this planet... I was not about to let it fall to another invader. After only a few months, my life had settled into a routine that involved little more than ending threat after threat to the human race. But it was all about to change.
When I met your mother, I knew the only way to enjoy my time here was to actually live as a human. When it eventually came up... I told her the version of my coming to Earth that you have been told since childhood. It was clear she wouldn't approve of the real reasons I was here.
Living life as a human was not easy at first. Simple concepts like menial labour being required to earn a living were completely alien to me. Though, the act of physical love made for anything other than procreation was a welcome surprise. I found myself becoming a regular fixture in the superhero community. My natural Viltrumite abilities made me the most powerful being on the planet. I found myself on adventure after adventure. After a time, I realised that my true motives had begun to slip from my mind. I was living the lie a bit too well.
It wasn't long after your mother and I married that I first ran into the Guardians of the Globe. I never became an official member, but I was welcomed into the fold with open arms. They helped me along in the early years. They knew I was new to all this and were all too eager to assist me. Some of them I would eventually come to consider friends. But I knew they would never allow me to complete my mission. I knew they would eventually need to be eliminated. As my years on Earth grew longer... I found myself becoming more and more comfortable living life among its inhabitants. It was something that worried me a great deal.
Then everything changed.
Your mother was so happy... I had no choice but to raise you as a human. I couldn't risk her finding out the truth about me... so I couldn't risk telling you the truth about me. I often thought about taking you... and raising you as a Viltrumite in the secluded area of the planet. I could never bring myself to do it. No matter how I tried to distance myself from her emotionally... I couldn't deny that I had grown quite fond of her.
I decided that for a time, I would turn my back on my duties and focus on raising you. I thought that you would be able to provide a unique perspective to the World Conquering committee, having grown up in this alien environment. I knew it couldn't last. When you started to develop your powers, I knew I couldn't wait much longer. So I made the first step towards weakening Earth's defenses.
...And now it's time for you to join me and help me prepare this planet for its imminent takeover at the hands of our people."
Mark was looking at his father with his usual neutral expression and his arms folded in front of him. He didn't say anything and simply looked at his father.
"I know this is all hard to take in at once... but over time... if you give it a chance... you'll begin to understand. I'm sorry you had to learn about all this under these circumstances... I tried to talk to you earlier. Seeing this, I know it's not the best way to lead into this speech."
Mark raises an eyebrow.
"Oh, I understand perfectly."
"You ... do?"
"I might look like I'm more brawn than brain, but at least I know where I got that from now. I was aware you killed the Guardians quite early on. And for you to get injured, heh, I admit it made me ponder for a bit. But you were quite clever, setting the stage like that."
"..."
"That was quite the story you told me there. But what to do you expect to happen now, huh?"
"Mark, this is good news. We can finally do what we were meant to do. Be who we were meant to be."
"How is that good news? You fucking lied to me. You lied to Mom."
"You couldn't know the truth... Not until you had your powers. Not until I was sure."
"Sure of what?"
"Sure you were a Viltrumite."
"Ohhh, is that so? So if I wasn't, I'd just be one more human cattle to conquer or slaughter? That's a bunch of bullcrap! You can't lie to me, Dad. I know you. You love Mom, and you love me. I know you do. In fact, you just told me yourself."
"Do you have any idea how long we live? The older we get, the slower we age. Viltrumite DNA is so pure you're nearly full-blooded. You'll live for thousands of years. Do you understand what that means? Everyone you know and love will be gone before you even look 30... It's not something I want for you.
This isn't your world. It's theirs. But we can help them. We can stop wars. Eliminate hunger. Provide them with medical technology that is centuries ahead of what they have now. We've already been doing it. If it wasn't for you and me, this planet would be in flames. All we have to do is welcome Earth into our empire. I do love your mother. But she's more like a... a pet to me."
Mark tilts his head to the side. His expression suddenly changed. He unfolds his arms and narrows his eyes.
"Say that again?"
"This is the only way, Mark," Omni-Man says, trying to comfort Mark, but he swats his father's hand away.
"A pet, huh?"
"Calm down."
"Calm down? Calm down?! I won't fucking calm down! You just called mom a pet. This is the pinnacle of absurdity! What do you think is gonna happen? That I'll play ball with my tail between my legs and a smile on my face? That I'm gonna help you enslave this world for a bunch of pissants I've never met? When have I ever done something like that? Seriously, Dad, if you truly know me, then you would know. This is my life! This is my planet! I'm 50% human, and nothing will change that."
"We have a responsibility to Viltrum..."
"Fuck Viltrum! I don't give a shit about Viltrum. And I don't care if I live a fuckin' million years. I wanked off in this house. That makes it my home, and I won't let some wanna-be empire take what I value, abuse it for their own benefit and then leave when they took all they can! Do you know the amount of paperwork involved in becoming ruler of the galaxy or whatever? I'm allergic to paperwork; it brings back my narcolepsy. And most of all, I won't allow anyone, not even you, to talk about Mom that way. Call me a prissy all you want, but that's how it is. Even the biggest badasses respect their mothers."
Mark clenches his fists and his jaw.
"I don't understand. Then what about the Flaxxan dimension? I thought we were on the same page there."
"We were. I personally repelled their invasion two times, and after they came the third, I wanted to make sure they wouldn't try it again. But I didn't go and enslave them; that's not my schtick. They might be able to decide on their own, but mistakes like an invasion of another dimension have to be punished. What you're talking about has nothing to do with that."
"You don't know what you're saying. And I can't let you interfere.
"Oh, is that right? I know exactly what I'm saying. And I know exactly what we're about to do."
"Do you really think you can stop me?"
"Stop you? I'll knock some fucking sense into you, old man. We're 'bout to have a party."
Mark says and gets into a fighting position. Every muscle in his body is ready, bubbling with energy and ... excitement. Omni-Man closes his eyes and breathes.
"So be it."
*BOOOOOM*